Sotomayor says she feels ‘frustration’ daily as conservative justices move US to right

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor said Monday she feels daily “frustration” as conservative justices move the country to the ideological right.

In an appearance at the University of California, Berkely School of Law, Sotomayor was asked how she copes with the consistently conservative rulings from the court.

“Every loss truly traumatizes me,” but “I get up the next morning,” she said in response to the question, The San Francisco Chronicle reported. The crowd — about 1,300 students — applauded.

In her remarks, she criticized her “originalist colleagues” whom she said have come up with “new ways to interpret the Constitution,” changing rulings “that some of us believed were well established,” the Chronicle reported.

The 6-3 conservative court has had an eventful couple of terms, making its mark on some of the most consequential aspects of everyday life — from overturning the federal right to an abortion to ruling affirmative action in colleges unconstitutional.

But Sotomayor also imparted a message of hope to the crowd, pushing them to be encouraged by the difference they can make.

“Change never happens on its own. Change happens because people care about moving the arc of the universe towards justice,” Sotomayor said, KTVU reported.

“It’s your turn now, to carry that burden,” she said, adding, “What choice do you have but to fight the good fight?”

Asked how she deals with colleagues who disagree with her, she said, “If you look for the good in people, you can deal with the bad more easily.”

She offered some kind words about conservative Justice Clarence Thomas, saying he “is the only justice who knows the name of every employee on the Supreme Court,” and he also knows their families, the Chronicle reported.

“I can have a very civil conversation with him, even though I have very passionate disagreements” with some of his opinions, she said, according to the Chronicle. “That’s how I lower the temperature.”